Tarangire & Ngorongoro

We drive to Tarangire for a full day of game viewing in one of Africa's lesser-known gems. The landscape here is unlike anywhere else on the northern safari circuit: ancient baobab trees, large termite mounds, and the Tarangire River, the only reliable water source once the dry season bakes the land a dusty red. In the wet season the same ground turns to dense bush and tall grass. Tarangire is famous for its elephant population, and you'll also see zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, waterbuck, baboon and impala, with lion, cheetah and leopard among the predators. The swamps draw green wood hoopoes, lovebirds, herons, white-bellied go-away birds and giant kingfishers, while drier ground is home to the kori bustard and the ostrich, the heaviest flying bird.

Dinner and overnight at Farm of Dreams Lodge.

You're picked up from your lodge and driven to the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game viewing, one of the best in Africa thanks to the permanent water supply on the crater floor. This UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1979) is one of the few places on earth where people and wildlife share the land in harmony. Look for the endangered black rhino, wildebeest, buffalo, zebra, eland, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, giant tusked elephants, lion, leopard, cheetah, and scavengers like spotted hyena and jackal. Over 500 bird species have been recorded within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Optionally, at extra cost, we can visit a Maasai village in the Ngorongoro Highlands, where you'll meet elders, warriors, women and children and learn about the culture, beliefs and traditions of Tanzania's last nomadic tribe. After the game drive, we head back to Arusha for dinner and overnight.